New reports reveal increased resistance to antibiotics in the food chain

Resistance to antibiotics is increasing, according to research conducted by the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), prompting concerns about the amount of drugs used for rearing livestock.

The institute advised a limitation on the antibiotics that are administered to animals: “In order to prevent a further increase in resistances, the use of antibiotics should be limited to the absolutely necessary extent both in human and in veterinary medicine,” said the BfR.

The warning was made on the back of two assessments by the National Reference Laboratories for salmonella and Antibiotic Resistance at the BfR, which reported a high resistance to antibiotics in the food chain.